During pregnancy an expecting mother should monitor her overall health conditions to ensure the safety of both her and the baby. A recent study has investigated the link between symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and hypertensive diseases women have developed while pregnant.

Menopause occurs when a woman's ovaries stop producing the hormones progesterone and estrogen causing their menstrual periods to stop, either permanently or for an extended period of time. This drop in estrogen may cause the thinning of a vaginal tissue, also known as vaginal atrophy, which can result in painful sex.

One of the most common symptoms of menopause is a sudden rise in body temperature known as a hot flash. Other symptoms include hot flashes that occur when the woman is sleeping, generally described as night sweats.

A team of researchers surveyed a sample population of women who sought medical advice at a cardiology clinic in Kampen, the Netherlands. Out of the 853 participants, 274 women reported a hypertensive disease while pregnant.

The study found that 82 percent of the women who reported having a hypertensive disease also experienced hot flashes and cold sweating. Moreover, the researchers found that women with a history of hypertension were prone to longer and more intense hot flashes.

Since the women involved with the study visited the cardiology clinic, researchers also looked into any cardiac symptoms the women may have come across. The report went on to include cardiovascular diseases as a possible risk for women whose pregnancy brought on hypertension.

High blood pressure is the foremost cause of hypertensive heart diseases such as coronary artery disease, heart failure and preeclampsia. To keep their blood pressure at bay during pregnancy, women are instructed to eat a healthy diet that will suffice her needs and the life growing inside of her, limit her amount of sodium and caffeine intake and schedule frequent doctor visits to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

The entire study is published in Tuesday's online edition of Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.